rest

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a support on which things can be put

   the gun was steadied on a special rest

2. 2
   noun

   euphemism for death, based on an analogy between lying in a bed and in a tomb

   I was laid to rest beneath my favorite tree.

3. 3
   noun

   a state of inaction

   a body will continue in a state of rest until acted upon

4. 4
   noun

   a pause for relaxation

   people actually accomplish more when they take time for short rests

5. 5
   verb

   give a rest to

   I rested my bad leg for an hour after the softball game.

6. 6
   verb

   not move

   be in a resting position

7. 7
   verb

   be inactive, refrain from acting

   The committee is resting over the summer

8. 8
   noun

   Relief from work or activity by sleeping; sleep.

   I need to get a good rest tonight; I was up late last night.

Etymology

From Middle English rest, reste, from Old English ræst, from Proto-West Germanic *rastu, from Proto-Germanic *rastō, from Proto-Indo-European *ros-, *res-, *erH- (“rest”). Cognate with West Frisian rêst (“rest”), Dutch rust (“rest”), German Rast (“rest”), Swedish rast (“rest”), Norwegian rest (“rest”), Icelandic röst (“rest”), Old Irish árus (“dwelling”), German Ruhe (“calm”), Albanian resht (“to stop, pause”), Welsh araf (“quiet, calm, gentle”), Lithuanian rovà (“calm”), Ancient Greek ἐρωή (erōḗ, “rest, respite”), Avestan 𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬨𐬈 (aⁱrime, “calm, peaceful”), Sanskrit रमते (rámate, “he stays sti…